Kensuke Creations and Kyū Are Joining the RLUX Customs Family! [Artist / Prototype Feature]

Kensuke Creations and his original character, Kyū, are joining the RLUX Customs family!

Kensuke Creations is the latest artist to join ranks with RLUX Customs! We’re sending a big congratulations to both of them and giving you a taste of what’s to come.

You no doubt remember RLUX Customs from their amazing renditions of CHK DSK‘s Carbine, TT05 and UNIT 02. Clearly not ones to stop for long, their upcoming release made alongside Kensuke Creations marks the first time this all-original characters will meet a production run.

Read on for an artist interview with Kensuke Creations, as well as an introduction and sneak peek at Kyū, the interdimensional demon mecha samurai!

Contents:

1. Who is Kensuke Creations?
2. Kensuke Creations Q & A
3. Who is Kyū?
4. Kyū sneak peak!

1. Who is Kensuke Creations?

Internationally recognized, Kensuke Creations (real name Ken Hensly) is the latest and greatest to join the ranks of Philippines-based toy artists. Hailing from Cebu City, Hensly has been an artist all his life; his strongest influences come from OG comics, cartoons, anime, and street design.

In his early 20’s, Hensly started Mermollie INK, a locally-famous Filipino apparel company known for its “gorelicious” style. Since then, he has made album art and merch for international music artists, as well as official works for various IPs like Stranger Things, Money Heist, Bad Boys For Life, and Call of Duty.

Hensly currently works as a team lead and Senior Graphic Illustrator at RipeConcepts, a design and marketing firm with locations around the globe.

When not creating under Kensuke Creations, the artist produces art and apparel for his cyberpunk brand, Hensly.ltd.

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2. Q&A with Kensuke Creations (via Saturday AM)

Q: How long have you been drawing?

I was born and raised in a very artistic and creative household. We come from a line of comic artists, architects, and musicians. So how long has it been? I guess for as long as I can remember really.

Q: How did you find your art style?

My signature style is detailed line art with some cinematic styling and depth on shadows and light. But I can be versatile when it comes to my work and it changes by mood. At times it can be surrealistic, comic-like, or cartoony. Most of all, I like to do parodies and mix in different influences that many people can relate to. I’ve always believed that the heart of a good design is its concept. A good concept will always provide more substance.

Q: Your art style is reminiscent of comic books. Are they an inspiration for your art style?

Most def! Having comic artists for uncles has its perks. As kids, we would hold our own family
drawing contests just to see who’s better or who improved. We were heavily influenced by Marvel
and DC Comics of the 80’s/90’s, to be more specific.

Q: When you begin your art sessions, do you have a favorite show or music you put in the background?

Actually, I like to listen to rainy moods and lofi! 😅 And put on some TV shows and anime from time
to time.

Q: How many hours a day do you spend drawing? Do you have a routine or specific time of day you like to draw?

From the moment I wake up in the morning ’til I sleep at night, you can guarantee I’m in my workstation just doing my art. I have been told that it seems like I have no other life but illustrating.😅I spend maybe an hour or two playing DOTA and other video games for some down time.

Q: It seems like you feature a lot of mecha in your art. Have you always incorporated them in your work?

The mecha designs are fairly recent. But if you scroll deeper, you can see a plethora of different influences and designs from comics, movies, TV shows, video games, surrealistic art, anime, cartoons, and even hand crafting and other huge pop culture influences! It’s because my line of work requires a lot of versatility. Luckily for me, I’m into all sortsa fun things!

Q: What is your favorite equipment to use when you’re creating art?

I use to start out with pencil sketches, but the pen tablet has won me over! So I do everything digitally on my Wacom or Huion tablet. My software arsenal of choice is Adobe Illustrator for sure.

Q: Beside art, what other hidden talents do you have under your belt?

I love creating music with my band, Drive Me to Juliet (shameless plug LOL). Other than that, crafting is another one of my passion that I seem to have lesser time for nowadays. 😥

[H/T to Saturday AM; interview has been edited for clarity]

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3. Who is Kyū?

Kyū is a Kensuke Creations original character. Fusing street with samurai and demon with mecha, Kyū is crossroads incarnate.

Kyū, literally translating to the number nine, is a powerful word with ties to magic and the occult. Having been both worshipped and feared, when kyū is pronounced in Japanese, it can be associated with the words for “torture” and “suffering.”

Despite the fearful allusions, Kyū himself is of noble character, though his techniques may not always be by-the-books. And just like a cat has nine lives, his name can refer to his agility and uncanny survival skills. Every time Kyū “dies” he awakens in a new aeon and unfamiliar world.

Kyū presides over THE TERMINAL (aka purgatory), a physical realm between multiverses. From the moment of his awakening, Kyū has had no recollection of a past life. Unbound by the laws of nature, he traverses through different dimensions to seek his own origins, often accompanied by his friend and protégé, Etch Killshot.

Kyū has briefly seen corporal form once before as a Hensly.ltd prototype, but this time, it seems he’s here for a much longer stay.

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4. A special Kyū sneak peek!

Since mid-2020, Kensuke Creations has been slowly dropping updates on the upcoming RLUX Customs Kyū. The full details aren’t yet public, but we’ve done our best to dig deep and find all the progress shots out there.

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Congratulations Kensuke Creations and RLUX Customs! We can’t wait to see what’s next!

That’s all we’ve got for now. As always, we’ll update you with more as it comes.

In the meantime, check out our stock of TT05: CARBINE OG, by RLUX Customs x CHK DSK. Also keep your eyes peeled for CARBINE UNIT 02, joining the Invasion soon!

Follow Kensuke Creations:

Web: behance.net/Kensukecreations
Instagram: instagram.com/kensuke.creations/
Facebook: facebook.com/KensukeCreations

Follow Hensly.ltd:

Instagram: instagram.com/hensly.ltd/
Facebook: facebook.com/Henslyph

Follow RLUX Customs:

Web: www.rluxcustoms.com/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rlux.customs/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rluxcustomsmask

Join the Invasion!

Web: invasiontoys.com
Instagram: instagram.com/invasiontoys_
Facebook: facebook.com/InvasionToys